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P.O.Box 46081, London W9 2ZF jfjfp@jfjfp.org

Read statements of the refuseniks

Appeals for Support and Action

Purchase delicious olive oil in solidarity with Palestinian farmers - now available

Palestinian Olive Oil that is being imported in to the UK by Zaytoun. The oil is available in half litre bottles (full organic status and exceptional quality) or in 5 litre plastic containers (very high quality, working towards organic certification).

Also available, jars of Za'atar, the hyssop of the bible - a wonderful herb and spice mix from palestine (sprinkle on toast for a snack, or on pizzas or as a flavouring for fish or stews or mix with a little oil for an aromatic paste - you can get lots of ideas via google).

The oil is purchased through Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees. PARC was established in 1983 as a voluntary organization and has developed since then to become one of the leading NGOs in Palestine. It serves the direct needs of some 160,000 Palestinians living in the most marginalized rural areas of Palestine. PARC is linking Palestinian farmers with buyers in Europe as a way of supporting livelihoods.

The agricultural economy, which is one of the major arteries of the Palestinian economy, has been significantly sabotaged as part of the Occupation. 65% of Palestinian families live in rural areas and are connected to agriculture in some form. The Israeli government is working on destroying rural livelihoods through the confiscation of land, uprooting of trees, controlling of water sources, denying access to land and the obstruction of marketing, all of which is escalating with the building of the apartheid wall.

You can order the oil from JfJfP

View the Zaytoun website.

War on Want have produced an effective poster and postcard
as part of their campaign against the Wall.
View the front and reverse of the card.
Copies available from War on Want.

Updated on 4 February, 2007

Because we are receiving many requests to get signatories for petitions we have set up a new page for on-line petitions

Most recent appeals:

  1. Ta'ayush Appeal, December 2006, to support campaigns in the Hebron and bethlehem region
  2. Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association - appeal for funds to bring Abu Dis school children to the UK in June 2006.
  3. Appeal to help reunite families from ICAHD
  4. Appeal for women to work on the West Bank by the International Women's Peace Service
  5. East Jerusalem demolition of house of peace activist, Walid Salem - write to the Jerusalem municipality. [appeal received 8 Feb 2005]
  6. The Rachel Corrie Rebuilding Campaign in Gaza

Ongoing appeals and activities:

  1. Windows for Peace newsletter 7 - December 2006
  2. Support the Tree Planting Campaign
  3. Act on the EU Association Agreement with Israel.
    The EU sees itself as broker for peace in the Middle East [note1]; yet it actively bolsters the Israeli vision of themselves as Europeans engaged in a ‘peace process’. It does this particularly by maintaining two EU-Israel Association Agreements, one on Trade, the other on Technical and Scientific Co-operation. The Trade Agreement allows almost all Israeli products free entry to the EU. Exports to the EU now constitute some 30% of Israeli exports and are worth some 8 billion dollars a year.
  4. Olive Co-operative tours to Palestine/Israel, promoting principles of respect and non-violence by all and to all.
  5. Help Windows help children bring peace to the Middle East
  6. Appeal for musical instruments for Palestine
  7. Appeal from Women`s Organization for Political Prisoners
  8. Protest against demolitions of unrecognised Bedouin villages
  9. Step up letter writing to the Jewish Press

Historic appeals and activities:

  1. Protest against the threatened demolition of the Hope Flowers Peace School canteen to make way for the Wall.
  2. Tel-Aviv University asked to acknowledge its past, and commemorate the Palestinian village on whose grounds it is built
  3. Support Fuad Moussa, a gay Palestinian being harassed by the Israeli authorities.
  4. Call for mature ISMers and jewish ISMers
  5. Support the Hoping Foundation
  6. Support the jailed refuseniks
  7. Protest against Israeli harassment of Rabbis for Human Rights and other groups
  8. Renounce your 'right to return' to Israel

Records of past JfJfP activities

Help reunite families!

A call by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, 6th March 2005

BACKGROUND: The Nationality and Entry into Israel Law and family separation

Law 5763 was passed in 2003. Section 2 of the Nationality and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) states; "During the period in which this Law shall be in effect, notwithstanding the provisions of any law, including Section 7 of the Citizenship Law, the Minister of the Interior shall not give a Resident of the Region a permit to reside in Israel pursuant to the Entry into Israel Law". [1]

While perhaps not sounding particularly sinister, the law has the effect of making impossible marriage between Palestinians who are citizens of Israel, and those who are citizens of the Occupied Territories (minus East Jerusalem). Addit ionally, many already wed do not have the possibility of unifying their families. In some instances where the families already reside together, the law is forcing them to live apart or separate. [2]

Although the law was passed in 2003, family unification had been frozen since 1 April, 2002. [3] The freeze had been ordered by ex-Minister of the Interior Eli Yishai, purportedly in response to a suicide attack in Haifa that killed 16 Israelis. That the attacker was an Israeli citizen by birth and not by family reunification had no effect on the decision. There is currently a discussion about making permanent some provisions of this law, considered temporary for the last two years. While some of those involved in the decision continue to invoke security as the concern, others have been more candid. "The Citizenship Law is the way to overcome the demographic demon," says Major General Giora Eiland. The current law is due to expire at the end of May and the proposal extends it to February of 2006. [4]

This law currently affects between 16,000-21,000 Palestinian families. This last week's Friday Magazine from Ha'aretz the case of Terry Bulata and Salah Iyad was explored in depth by Israeli columnist Gideon Levy. It is one of many cases where the law is exacerbated by other aspects of the Occupation, such as the "Security Fence". [5]

NOTES

(1) Nationality and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), 5763-2003. The "Region" referred to consists of, "Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip".

(2) Copiously documented by many sources, see especially: HaMoked & B'Tselem's Forbidden Families: Family Unification and Child Registration in East Jerusalem, 2004; Anna Seifert's Separated Families, 2005; Amnesty International's Torn Apart: Families Split by Discriminatory Practices, 2004.

(3) Ha'aretz, "Yishai Freezes Family Unification of Israeli Arabs Married to Residents of PA" by Mazal Mualem, 1 April 2002

(4) Ha'aretz, "National Security chief Eiland proposes citizenship limitations for Palestinians" by Yuval Y oaz, 3 March 2005

(5) Ha'aretz, "Twilight Zone: Partition Plan" by Gideon Levy, 5 March 2005

ACTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO

One way to help change policy is to contact government representatives. Many of them do not seem to be overly concerned about, or perhaps they're just ignorant of, Israeli crimes in the Occupied Territories. It's possible though, that enough pressure can be applied from below to make them feel less elect-able if they don't modify their positions. The draft letter below is offered below is simply a template to be used or modified as you see fit.

There are several campaigns already underway for those interested in further work on this issue. HaMoked, Center for the Defense of the Individual (http://www.hamoked.org.il) and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (http://www.acri.org.il) have been working on this issue even before the expanded restrictions were put in place in 2003.

--Phone, fax, or email your representatives directly. If you are a U.S. Resident or citizen, find your representative’s contact information at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. If you have the ability, one fax is generally worth about ten emails.

--To help us gauge the response, please send a cc of your messages to lucia@icahd.org.  

--To email Interior Minister Ofir Pines-Paz, write pinespaz@knesset.gov.il or fax him at 9732-2-649-6171

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear…

A newly-proposed Citizenship Law in Israel would prevent Palestinian citizens of Israel (often called Israeli Arabs) and permanent residents of Jerusalem from marrying Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip. The current Nationality and Entry into Israel Law affects at least 16,000 Palestinian families. The law prevents family unification for those already married and in some cases is separating families that have been married for years. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz, on March 4th, 2005, reported a case where this law is separating the families of Terry Bulata and Salah Iyad who have been together for 14 years and have two children.

 

The law is supposedly intended to prevent Palestinian militants from gaining access to Israel through marriage. One of the influential Israelis forming the proposed law characterized it as "the way to overcome the demographic demon." Israeli claims of security purposes prove to be false when the people making the laws make claims to the contrary. The proposed changes include reforms that would allow unification in about 50% of cases. This is unacceptable. Please help Israelis and Palestinians in their quests for family unification by asking that the Israeli government repeal the current law and halt the similar permanent measures currently under consideration.

regards…

East Jerusalem demolition of house of peace activist, Walid Salem

8th February 2005

Dear Friend,
As you know, house demolition has become a routine collective punishment delivered on Palestinians living under Occupation. Here, I appeal to you to help stop an impending demolition order, the details of which follow, by adding your signature the attached letter to the Mayor of the Jerusalem Municipality and his City Council who have the authority to stay the order.
The story facing these 4 families is not unique: they followed the standard procedures for obtaining the necessary permits for building their home and, as is so often the case, the Jerusalem municipality also 'did as usual' and awarded the building permits. As is also 'usual', however, the municipality later reneged and delivered a demolition order, rather than a stiff fine, as is 'usually' their response. What is unique in this story is that the families living in the building include active workers for peace. Walid Salem is a teacher of democracy, author of several books and articles, and activist in peace and human rights. Walid has made a powerful impact on Palestinian grass roots through his work as Director General of the Panorama Center for the Dissemination of Peace and Democracy (with offices in Gaza, Ramallah, E. Jerusalem and other locations throughout Palestine).
I believe that we, Jews and Palestinians of the peace and human rights camp, must come together with all possible resources to help Walid and his family. We must make Walid's case an example to our ongoing struggle to obtain justice and remove arbitrary obstacles to peace.

Below is the full story. Please review it and add your name to the signatories in this appeal to Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky and the Jerusalem Municipality's City Council.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Ahlam Akram
Peace and Human rights campaigner.

A request from Distinguished Citizens of Britain to the Mayor of Jerusalem

07/02/2005

To the Mayor of Jerusalem
Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky

Dear Mr. Mayor,
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Britain concerned with Peace in the Middle East region and a resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, strongly urge the municipality of Jerusalem to suspend the demolition order issued against the Shu'afat home of Mr.Walid Salem and three other families totaling 21 persons due to a zoning technicality (Ihud ve haluka) that still awaits approval.

The house was constructed within the legal limits, and the mandatory 20% of space required for public use was set aside (221 square metres out of 921).

To demolish this house under these circumstances is patently unfair and discriminatory. We ask that no action be taken before the formal approval of the zoning plan for Shu'afat. And that this zoning plan be completed without further delay.

We understand that the law gives the mayor authority to act in this matter so as to freeze the demolition order until a legal solution can be reached. We therefore request and urge the mayor to exercise this authority by so acting.

Sincerely yours,

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Story of a House demolition order
1) General Information
Area: Shu'afat
Location: Khallet Masha'l
Piece Number: number 4 (Jordanian), number 28/30544 (Israeli)
Plot surface: 903 square meters: 221 meters of which are allocated for the pavement of a road in the area (we left this piece for the road).
Bought by me and my colleagues on: 5/10/1999: according to an agreement with the previous owners' agent Dr. Fuad Muharab: The Notary Ibrahim Nassar prepared the agreement between the two sides.

Owners of our lot and the building on it:
- Walid Salem (family of 5 persons).
- Summayah Odeh: (family of 5 persons)
- Adnan Shalaldeh (family of 6 persons)
- Hasan Dowani (family of 5 persons)

The Four families built the house in Shu'afat in 2001 and beginning of 2002.
- The land upon which we built is part of an 80 dunam lot where building is allowed, but where the formal parcelization ("khalouka") by the municipality is not yet complete, therefore there are no permits for building.
- Therefore we got a demolishing order on May 2002.
- We applied after to the municipal court (case No. 3763/02).
- The municipal court held several hearings on 2002 and 2003 on the issue: we proved that we were already residing in the house before the demolishing order was issued.
- The municipal court refused our petition on 12/12/2004 and gave us one month to request reconsideration.
- This period was then extended to 19th of January 2005.

2) Walid Salem and his family
I am involved in Peace activism since 1994, including projects intended to bring the peace movements and the civil society organizations from both sides together, and promoting non-violence. I am an educator for democracy educator, having taught courses in democracy to 27,000 (27 thousands) Palestinians. I have authored several books on democracy and human rights, including a book co-authored with Edy Kaufman addressing the role of civil society in Peace building.
Married in 1985, my wife Inam and our three children had lived in rented houses, frequently moving from one house to another. The last rented house, where my family lived for eleven years, was located close to the Old City and very cramped with only two rooms and a small kitchen. We were obliged to divide one of the rooms between the saloon and the bedroom for my wife and myself, while the second was shared by my two sons and my daughter. As our daughter became older I was obliged to begin thinking about moving to a larger house in order to give her privacy from her brothers.
At that time I heard about the lot of land in Shu'afat and, unable to afford buying it alone, I participated with three other families in its purchase. Knowing that building is allowed, although the zoning was not yet formally concluded, we began construction.

3) The issue of zoning (Khalouka or parcelization)
After purchasing the piece of land in 1999, we spent two years speaking with the engineers in an effort to facilitate the zoning process. Municipal Engineer, Kulikar Ibstein was very slow in the process, and ultimately, withdraw from following the issues of zoning. All the while, our very human need to house our growing families became more urgent. In 2001 we began construction and have resided in the building since its completion in April 2002. In May 2002 we received the demolition order!

4) Our request
In all the bed of 80 dunams, building is allowed but zoning is still not finished (even today, 5 years later). All those families who built prior to us received and paid fines; we, however, were served with a demolition order. We are ready to pay the fine, whatever expense it is, even if it is necessary to borrow monies in order to pay it. But please give us our right to our home, and please do not take it from us!
Moreover in the moment we have a new engineer called Eyala and she works hard on zoning issue for all the 80 dunums. We ask that Eyala to be allowed and given more time in order to finish the zoning (Khalouka)
The other families sharing the building had also residency problems that led them to build. One of them Symmaya Odeh is a staff member of the library on Truman Institute for Advancement of Peace in the Hebrew University

Thanks in advance for your consideration of this humanitarian case.
Walid Salem

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International Women's Peace Service Appeal

Are you a woman who is interested in working for international justice?
Do you want to support Palestinian nonviolent resistance?
Are you willing to spend 3-6 months living in a rural West Bank village in the next year?

If so, IWPS (International Women's Peace Service) may be for you.  Please read the attached job description, forward widely, and we'll see you in Palestine!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PEACE SERVICE - PALESTINE
NEEDS YOU NOW...

We are looking for 30 women to join our international team working in the Salfit region of the West Bank.  These new long-term volunteers will become the core members of the organization.  Most travel and living expenses are met by the project (see full explanation below). 

The aims of IWPS-Palestine are:

1. To support nonviolent civil resistance by Palestinians and Israelis, and to create space for people to become more involved in resistance.
2. To monitor human rights abuses, provide accompaniment, and intervene nonviolently to try to prevent human rights abuses. 
3. To alert the world community to human rights abuses in the Salfit region and to effect change in world opinion about the occupation.
4. To provide an experiential model that can be used to created international women's peace teams in other areas.

IWPS functions through working groups comprised of its members.  These working groups are responsible for specific areas of work and form the backbone of the organization.

New long-term volunteers (LTVs) will commit to the project at least through December 2006 (preferably longer).  Each year, LTVs will:
- attend a training and meeting
- spend between 3 and 6 months in the IWPS house in Palestine
- when not in Palestine, spend 5-10 hours per week in their home countries working to maintain the organization

LTVs must:
- commit to the aims and objectives of IWPS
- be comfortable working in English (all IWPS meetings and reports are in English)
- have, or learn, basic colloquial Arabic (Palestinian dialect)
- have easy access to e-mail and some degree of computer literacy
- attend a 16-day training and meeting before service in Palestine (upon completion of this training, final acceptance to the team will be confirmed)
- be able to work flexibly in a team
- be willing to take on the responsibility of running the organization with other LTVs
- be able to cope with physically and mentally demanding conditions of work

IWPS is run by women from different countries around the world and is intentionally diverse in recruiting support from a wide range of differing racial, age, religious, class and cultural backgrounds.  Preference will be given to Arabic speakers, women from underrepresented countries and communities, and women with experience in nonviolent resistance movements in Palestine or elsewhere.

The following costs are met by the project:
- full board and lodging in the IWPS house in Palestine
- traveling expenses to and from your home country
- basic medical insurance (up to 100 British pounds per month)
- an away-from-home allowance of 200 British pounds per month for the months served in Palestine

Please make every effort to apply by April 1, 2005.  Interviews will take place between March and May 2005.  New LTVs will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Training and the annual meeting are tentatively scheduled for Aug 16 to Sept 2, 2005.  Travel costs to the training will be partially met by the applicant, but the training costs themselves will be covered by IWPS.

IWPS also offers scholarships for poor and working class women from countries and communities currently underrepresented in IWPS, who are only available as short-term volunteers.

For application pack, please e-mail: iwpsvolunteers@yahoo.co.uk.
For further information about IWPS and the last three years of our work in Palesitne, see www.iwps.info.

************ Please post and forward widely ************

This list will only be used very occasionally to post job announcements with the International Women's Peace Service in Palestine.
To unsubscribe from this list please email iwps-recruitment-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net.
Angie Zelter,
Valley Farmhouse, East Runton,
Cromer, Norfolk. NR27 9PN. UK.
Tel:- +44- (0)1263-512049
Email - reforest@gn.apc.org
Websites : www.tridentploughshares.org
www.iwps.info

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Support the latest batch of jailed refuseniks

In addition

Sign the petition against unfair treatment of IDF draft resisters.
If you have trouble with this link try the Schministin and click there to sign the petition.

The trial of the five occupation refusenicks is about to end. The Refusenicks Parents' Forum intends to publish a petition supporting the accused and their freedom of conscience before the final session of the military court in Jaffo. Petiton details. They intend to gather signatures and contributions in order to print a very large ad in the daily press. For this purpose, the seruvnicks need your help.
Sign the petition on-line

Financial support for Refuseniks needed urgently

The Keren Yesh Gvul, the fund to give support to Refuseniks, have promised money to all but are having severe problems keeping to this. There are now Refuseniks from the elite units, pilots and the paras, who are older and have families to support and who are in greater need. More money is desperately needed and this is a practical way those of us who live more comfortably in the UK can offer very real and concrete assistance.

Reservist refusers don't receive the IDF salary compensation for lost income. Many of them have a family to maintain. With an increasing number of refusers, the Keren Yesh Gvul (specific fund for compensations) is emptying rapidly. If you want the refuseniks to continue to receive at least some support in the future, please send a cheque made out to 'Israeli Refuseniks' to us at P.O.Box 46081, London W9 2ZF.

We will consolidate all sums received and make a single transfer to Yesh Gvul thus minimising exchange and banks charges which can be very high, especially on small sums.

The situation is urgent. Your donations, no matter how small, will be much appreciated.

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Israeli harassment of Rabbis for Human Rights, Christian Peace Teams and ISM

It is not just the ISM: messages of condemnation for Israeli action against Christian Peace Team and threats to Rabbis for Human Rights are needed. JfJfP is organising a Jewish Writers and Artists Letter, but everybody can do their bit.

Rabbis for Human Rights

Rabbi Arik Asherman, The director of Rabbis for Human Rights was recently called in for questioning by Israeli security services and warned that rebuilding demolished homes in Jerusalem is illegal. He asked for this ruling in writing and was not given anything.

Asherman writes, "The intent is not only to stop activities which can be seen as 'illegal,' but to also prevent humanitarian activities, the work of Taayush [Ta'ayush - Arab-Jewish Partnership http://www.taayush.org] to accompany children to school, etc. Ultimately, it may be that the goal is to prevent any 'seeing eye' witnessing what is happening in the Occupied Territories." ("Seeing Eye" is a Talmudic reference to a teaching that even when we try to do something in secret, God sees and knows what we are doing.)

Christian Peace team:

Greg Rollins a Canadian who was with the CPT in Hebron is now in remand in the Ramla prison, awaiting an Israeli High Court hearing.

The decision to continue holding Rollins, and decisions about deportations, are the responsibility of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. Avraham Poraz, the Minister of Interior, presents himself as the most liberal member of the government. He came into office saying he would NOT deport or block entry of peace activists and human rights defenders. He wants to be seen as modern, enlightened and democratic. Messages from abroad questioning the repression of peace groups and attempts to remove the international nonviolent presence can influence Poraz to change these policies. We believe that your emails and faxes to Poraz now can help preserve room for CPT and other groups to operate now and in the future.

In emails or faxes to Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, we suggest asking questions: Why is Rollins being held? What do the harassments and restrictions imposed on humanitarian and human rights groups mean? Does he know how this looks to the world? Why does the Israeli military want no witnesses to what it is doing in the Occupied Territories?

Send messages to:

Interior Minister Avraham Poraz
sar@moin.gov.il

or
aporaz@knesset.gov.il

From outside of Israel/Palestine:
phone: 972-2 670 1402
fax: 972-2 566 6376

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Step up letter writing to the Jewish Press

The Jewish Press needs to hear from different people.This is a way of trying to educate the Jewish community which can be done from anywhere in the country and should only take a minute or two. If you don't get the JC and don't want to increase their circulation, have a look at their web-site. The letter writing group may be able scan and email to you key articles requiring a response. Contact the JfJfP letter writing group for more information. Here are the addresses for letters to be sent:

Jewish Chronicle letters@thejc.com

London Jewish News newsdesk@totallyplc.com

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Protest against House Demolitions in Unrecognized Bedouin Villages

"Recognition Forum", a coalition of human rights organizations and peace organizations which includes the following:

request your support in a letter campaign through electronic mail, fax and mail, against house demolitions and field destruction in Unrecognized Bedouin Villages in the Negev. Lately, house demolitions and poisoning of fields by the government have increased to an alarming degree.

Background

The Bedouin are a unique community that has lived in the Negev for centuries. In 1948, they constituted the vast majority of the population of the Negev, numbering about 60,000 people. After the war there were only about 10,000 Bedouin left in the Negev, the rest having left or been expelled to Jordan and Egypt (the Gaza strip and the Sinai). In the early 50's, the Bedouin were concentrated in a tight geographical area (about 1,500 square kilometers) in the eastern Negev, called the "Seyag", and were subject to military rule until 1966. The western, northern and southern parts of the Negev are now almost devoid of any Bedouin residents. Lands in the western and northern Negev were given to new kibbutzim and moshavim (Jewish agricultural forms of settlement) for cultivation. Transfer of the Bedouin population to the eastern Negev has deprived tribes of their land and concentrated them on lands not their own, under harsh and increasingly crowded conditions.

In the late 60's, Tel Sheva was founded as the Bedouins' first permanent settlement, with the intent of concentrating the essentially rural-agrarian community in extremely crowded urban settlements lacking employment and proper infrastructure. Since then, six more such settlements have been created: Rahat, Kseife, Aro'er, Laqiya, Segev-shalom and Hura. At present, half the Bedouin population, about 70,000 inhabitants, live in these towns, whereas another 70,000 Bedouins live in dozens of "unrecognized villages" without water, electricity, sanitation, roads, health and education services, etc.

Denying recognition to dozens of villages, withholding basic services from tens of thousands of citizens, issuing home demolition orders, poisoning the fields by spraying chemicals from the air, and repeated harassment by the "Green Patrol" of the Ministry of the Interior, all serve one single purpose - to make this population abandon its land and force it into the towns. Even so, in recent years, the residents have held on to their land much more persistently, and some young families are even leaving the towns and returning to their own land.

After several years of relative quiet during which houses were not demolished, the policy of house demolition has been resumed in unrecognized villages in the Negev. The Green Patrol has been reinforced, the police presence has been greatly augmented, greater resources have been allocated to "take care" of what the authorities call illegal construction, and special courts for land matters have even been proposed. In addition a new form of coercion - poisoning the fields - has been used several times over crops that are grown on lands that are under legal dispute.

The Sharon Plan for the Negev Bedouins

Last month [April 2003] the Six-Year Sharon Plan for the Bedouins passed in the ministry committee. This plan is for the concentration of the remaining rural Bedouins into the existing seven towns, and seven new towns of the same character. There are two major flaws with this plan. First - it was made with no consultation with the community it is created for. The overwhelming majority of the rural Bedouin community does not wish to be transferred into a poverty-stricken urban environment. The second flaw is that the funds allocated for this plan are concentrated heavily on enforcement: more police for house demolitions, more money for the "Green Police", money set aside for more poisoning of fields, and funds set for the judicial system in order to "settle" the land disputes. In effect this new Sharon plan is a continuation and a worsening of the government's policy until now.

For a detailed "Analysis Of The $200 Million Sharon Plan for the Negev", see:
"Bedouin in the Negev Face New "Transfer" written by Jonathan Cook, 12th May 2003
http://www.arabhra.org/articles/JCookBedouin.htm

More information and sample letter

Addresses for mailing letters:

Mr. Ariel Sharon - Prime Minister.
Fax: +972-2-566-4838
e.mail: webmaster@pmo.gov.il

The Office of Prime Minister,
Kaplan 3,
Jerusalem,
Israel.

Mr. Avraham Poraz - Minister of the Interior.
Fax: +972-2-566-6376.
e.mail: sar@moin.gov.il

Ministry of Interior,
Kiryat Ben Gurion,
Kaplan 2,
Jerusalem,
Israel.

Mr. Tsahi Hanegbi - Minister of Internal Security.
Fax: +972-2-581-1832.
e.mail: sar@mops.gov.il

POB 18182,
East Jerusalem
91181
[ Under control of Israel ]

Mr. Silvan Shalom - Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Fax: +972-2-530-3506
e.mail: sar@mofa.gov.il

Mr. Ehud Olmert - Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Fax: +972-2-624-3738
email: sar@moit.gov.il

Agron 30,
Jerusalem
91002
Israel

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Call for mature ISMers and Jewish ISMers from ISM

Due to the recent assault on ISM in Palestine by the Israeli government, we are low on numbers and are struggling to keep an effective presence in the regions where we operate. Therefore we urge any potential ISMers to organise themselves to come here as soon as possible. We are taking measures to reduce the likelihood of arrest, so please don't feel that coming here in the current situation would be a waste of time. There are plenty of activities we can participate in without risking arrest. Of course you should make sure to have a strong believable reason for visiting the region, as immigration officials will be probably be on the look- out for would be ISMers.

As always, we invite everyone - with a commitment to non violence - to join us. ISM especially encourages older people to come to join in our work, as older people tend to command more respect from the Israeli army, and from the public in general, and as such are an extremely valuable resource for us.

In addition, we particularly invite Jewish people to join the movement. Already, about 25% of our activists come from Jewish backgrounds. It is much more easy for Jewish people to enter Israel and more embarrassing for the Israeli government to deport Jews, making our Jewish contingent extremely valuable to the movement.

We hope to see you in Palestine.

Details about joining ISM

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Support the Hoping Foundation

This is a new charity set up in Britain to undertake humanitarian, educational, cultural and social welfare projects by providing grants to community projects and groups working with Palestinian refugee children in the Middle East. This next generation will be the key for peace. The Foundation will undertake a range of initiatives and appeals to enable it to raise funds in order to provide grants for this purpose. Hoping stands for "Hope and optimism for Palestinians in the next generation".

The Hoping Foundation

The Independent Review on 1 October carried an account by Deborah Orr of the visit by Jemima Khan, Bella Freud and Harriet Vyner to the refugee camps in Lebanon and the Palestinian Occupied Territories to set up this charity. The report describes the problems they faced as they tried to cross over into the West Bank at the Allenby bridge in Jordan.

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Tel-Aviv University asked to acknowledge its past, and commemorate the Palestinian village on whose grounds it is built

Tel Aviv University was partially built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwanis. Whilst it is known that some of the village’s lands were sold in 1924, others were not; and there has never been any mention by the University of What Happened to those villagers who left the village in a hurry in March 1948. Zochrot, an organization which encourages the Israeli state and its institutions to recognize the moral debt for the wrong doings caused to the Palestinian people during the establishment of the state of Israel, has started a campaign requesting that Tel-Aviv University acknowledge the history of Sheikh Muwanis. This can easily be done through several means. The first is through a reference to the Palestinian history in the University's manifesto, including a description of the ‘Green House’, the only house remaining from the village and now functioning as a university clubhouse. (See link below.) The second is through the hanging of a plaque on one of the house’s walls, to commemorate the village and its history. In addition, Zochrot calls for a memorial sign to be placed in a central position on University grounds, which will state that the University campus was built on lands of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwanis.

Zochrot calls on our allies in the academic world to aid us in our campaign. Please send letters to the president of Tel Aviv University calling on the institution to recognize its history. Below is a sample letter (thus far ignored by Tel Aviv University) written by Zochrot. Only with the pressure of the academic world can Sheik Muwanis gain back the recognition it deserves. This may seem to you a small issue relatively to the increasing violence and tension in the region, but what it symbolizes is a key factor in the peace process. Remembering, acknowledging and accepting are key pillars in this process.

Write to:

Professor Itamar Rabinowich
President
University of Tel-Aviv
P.O. Box 39040
Tel Aviv 69978
ISRAEL

or e-mail: please BCC all e-mails to SheikhMuwanis@yahoo.com

Sample letter

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Appeal from Women`s Organization for Political Prisoners

On 7 February 2004, at about 7 o'clock in the evening, Sahar A'bdu from Haifa. was arrested by the Israeli Police while returning from Jordan. She is a voluntary worker as editorial secretary of elJeel elJadeed magazine and is a member of Abnaa elBalad movement.

On Sunday 8 February 2004, at the court of 'Aka (Acre), Saharÿs detention was extended for 8 days. The court was in camera. She is not allowed to meet a lawyer, and all the evidence is confidential.

We fear that she may be undergoing interrogation and are concerned about her health and safety.

Her arrest followed the arrest of Abnaa elBaladÿs general secretary, Muhammad Asÿad Kanaÿane, and Husam Kanaÿane, a member of Abnaa elBalad. They are not allowed to meet a lawyer either, and all information about them is confidential

Abnaa elBalad is a legal political movement of Palestinians inside the Green Line.

On 11 February 2004, an appeal at the district court in Haifa against the detentions was rejected. The court was in camera, and neither the lawyers nor the families were allowed to see the detainees.

Please write protest letters against the abuse of Sahar A'bdu's basic rights, and demand the release of the three detainees.

Write to:

DR. Zvi M. Shtauber
Israeli Ambassador
2 Palace Green
London W8 4QB

fax: 0207 957 9555
e-mail: info-assist@london.mfa.gov.il

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Appeal for musical instruments for Palestine

People are collecting musical instruments to support ongoing and future musical activities in the West Bank. The instruments are for:

All string/wind/percussion instruments welcome

If you have any instruments to donate or if you require more
information, please contact Claudia or Michele:

Tel. 020 7709 8152
michelecantoni@britishlibrary.net

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Help Windows help children bring peace to the Middle East

Windows for Communication is a joint Israeli-Palestinian Media and Art project based in Tel Aviv and the West Bank. It aims to foster understanding between young people on both sides of the divide and encourage an ongoing dialogue between them.

The young people work together to produce WINDOWS‚ a magazine in Arabic and Hebrew that seeks to breakdown stereotypes and to convey the complex situation sensitively. Israeli and Palestinian children also create artwork together which is displayed in exhibitions in schools, youth clubs and other places. Some of them meet up in summer camp in and outside the region, where deeper friendships develop.

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Support the Tent of Nations Tree Planting Campaign

4000 Trees for Daher’s Vineyard: A tree for Daher’s Vineyard (Nassar Land) to keep hope alive

At Christmas time all the people in the world look to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. In celebrating this joyful event, people like to give a Christmas present to their family members, beloved ones and friends.

We suggest to you a very special present being related to Bethlehem. Why not give your relatives and friends a tree to be planted on Daher’s Vineyard in Bethlehem? This tree will grow in solidarity with the people who are praying for Peace and Justice in the Land of the Bible.

Beginning of January until March 2004, we are inviting people from different countries including Israelis and Palestinians to come to Daher’s Vineyard and plant trees together. Through this project people will get in touch with each other and build bridges of understanding and tolerance. We want to make Daher's Vineyard a place for meeting and finding a common dialogue. We are hoping, with your support, to plant 4000 trees.

Why do we plant trees?

When do we plant trees?

Beginning of January until the end of March.

What kind of trees are we planting?

Olive, grapes, almonds, figs and other trees.

We invite you to participate in this tree planting campaign by sponsoring a tree at a cost of $10 US each. You will receive a certificate of solidarity for your donation.

We look forward to your support in keeping hope in Palestine alive. Please forward this letter to your friends.

Please make checks out to: Tent of Nations, 8925 Monsanto Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45231.

Please send donations to: Fifth Third (5/3) Bank, Finneytown Bank Mart, 8685 Winton Rd. Mail Drop 108811, Cincinnati, OHIO, 45231

Routing number: 042000314, Account Name: Tent of Nations.

More details

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The Rachel Corrie Rebuilding Campaign in Gaza

the Nasrallah Family'

The Rachel Corrie Rebuilding Campaign in Gaza

Rebuilding the Nasrallah Family's home in Gaza as a first step to build momentum worldwide to stop demolition bulldozers, so that children can sleep safely and peacefully in their homes at night.

Theme: Human Rights | Location: West Bank and Gaza Strip | Need: $36,823

 Give Now

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Records of past activities